Soul of a Shinobi
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: One night, a most unexpected visitor pops into the life of young Jodie Holmes. But not just any visitor-he's a ghost from another dimension. A world outside her own, a different reality altogether. Not bound to her by any means but pursued by problems of his own, this strange prankster changes her life in ways she can't even begin to fathom. NarutoxJodie. Humor. Angst. Lust.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Still I return again! Things have been absolutely crazy for me as of the last few months what with the surgeries and all, but now at long last, I feel I can devote my attentions to this fic anew as I've intended to do! Of course, now that they're not cutting me OPEN anymore to work on my heart I've also come up with a quite a few new ideas! I can promise ya'll that the next few chappys are going to be nothing short of absolutely brilliant! So sorry for the wait! There's a bit of a long author's note this time, because there are a few matters I want to address.**

****But I also want to bring something to your attention. I've been putting this off for a while, but this needed to be done. I have PURGED many of my older works. That's right, I've delted or adopted off many of the stories that I will no longer be continuing. Fear not, my most popular fics will remain, but most of my old stuff from back in 2008 and 2009, when I had no idea what I was doing is being all but removed from the site. Out with the old, in with the new, as they say! Still, if anyone is interested in any of my old stuff, say the word and its yours to continue. But I've held ya'll up long enough!****

**Now that we've addressed all those issues, I just wanted to say: Thank you. To all of you who reviewed and have yet to review, and especially those who noticed my improved writing style. You all know who you are. I look forward to hearing more from you as we continue down the strange, convulted path that is this story. I honestly cannot believe I've already gotten so many reviews for the first chapter alone, and now its so damn high I could cry with joy! Hopefully I won't dissapoint you guys! **

**Which brings me to my next point of interest. I'm sick. Really sick of getting flak from people for dedicating time and precious resources to my works, only to be assailed by those who are dissapointed that I'm not going to stick to canon in some of my stories. This is fanfiction, damnit!**

**The latest chapter of Imperfection is a prime example of this and its beginning to grate on my last nerve. So, I...say this. I'm DONE. Just, done. If ya'll don't want to read some of my works then I won't grace you with them. My health is atrocious, and I'm STILL dedicating time to this site, knowing that some like my works. But I'm sick and tirned of all the hate I've been gettingin this last year- which is seriously causing me to wonder whether I should just drop this site altogether and move on. I dunno. Maybe I just don't like it when I've devoted so much time to something and a large group of people dedicate themselves to tearing it down. Who knows?**

** M****aybe I'm just contemplating out loud. But to any writer reading this, you probably understand where I'm coming from. It wears on the soul to not have your work appreciated, doesn't it? I know you can't please them all but this...is ridiculous. Speaking of Souls, I've just finished Beyond Two Souls atm when I thought of a cute little oneshotxcrossover. I searched on the site an it turns out that no one's bothered to do one. None in _English_ at any rate. Lets remedy that, shall we? Spoilers ahead!**

** And with that...**

**...onto the story! =D Fair warning, there's a tiiiiiiny bit of language in this chap...and I apologize for any OOCness. Now...enjoy! And prepare to smile.**

_"Who are you...?_

_~?_

**First Night**

Jodie didn't like this place.

She didn't understand why mummy and daddy had brought her here, why she'd had to leave home. Was it because of Aiden? She didn't understand. She didn't _want _to understand. She wanted to go home, to be back in her bed, to listen as her mummy read her a bedtime storry. Anything was better than this cold, unfeeling room. She wasn't alone-thanks to Aiden-but then again neither did she feel safe. Not from the dark, and not from the monsters, and _certainly _not from her dreams.

Fitfully, her eyes closed in sleep.

Then she felt a chill. It came out of nowhere, turning her beath to ice, and plummeting her room to a chill.

_"Okay, that does it. I am officially, totally lost."_

"Ah!"

Jodie jumped upright in her bed with a shriek-little heart racing as a soft voice plucked at her ear. Her mind still fuzzy from sleep, struggled to remember. It was her First Night at the institution and despite Aiden's very best efforts, both at telling her a story with a flashlight and shapes, she'd had a terrible time of falling asleep. She missed her mummy and her daddy...on second thought, mostly mummy. She didn't like daddy. He said bad words and hit her.

But this one was different.

He...He didn't _look_ like Aiden. No, this looked like a person. Whiskered cheeks and soft blue eyes, spiky yellow hair, all wrapped up in what looked to be a black and orange track-suit. He looked rather silly, she thought, especially consider that she could see right through him, to the wall upon which he was leaning. And then there was the strange metal headband wrapped around his head. Very silly,indeed. There was no tether binding him to anything, either. Not her, not the room, not anything at all.

As she looked on, he waved cheerily, a warm smile, the expresson making him look oddly foxlike.

_"Sorry,"_ it was the voice of a young teenager, faint and distant, that emerged from his mouth. _"Did I wake you?"_

She nodded tentatively.

_"Gomen."_ came the reply.

Whoever this was-he obviously wasn't a monster. Or was he? He certainly didn't look like one. And Aiden hadn't done anything to him yet. Even as she looked on her ever present guardian and friend warbled a question to the stranger. The boy in black and orange laughed softly to himself and shook his head.

_"Not my choice,"_ he sighed, the words echoing once more. _"I did what I needed to do while I was alive; hell, I saved my world. I'm content with that. Don't really know why I'm here."_

"You can understand him?" Jodie blinked, the knot of dread that'd been wound so tight only moments before now slowly loosening its grip.

"Must be a ghost thing." he shrugged.

"W-W-Who're you?" Jodie whispered.

_"A ghost...I guess."_ he laughed softly, staring down at his transparent hand, as though seeing it for the first time. _"Name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo! Think I made a wrong turn at the river styx and wound up here. Wherever here is."_ He seemed rather calm for someone who'd just died, all things conisdered._ "Huh."_ the boy craned his neck around, as though searching for someone. _"Guess the rest of Kurama didn't make the trip. Well, most of him, anyway. Damn." _irate, he stomped a foot-

-and across the room, a table_ jumped. _Naruto blinked, intrigue flickering across his visage. _"Well, that's new. Wonder what else I can do?" _His gaze snapped across the hall, eyes narrowing upon the door, with intent. It swung open with a hars bang, causing him to start. Aiden's bemused burble elicited a fierce glare from the blond. _"Hey!"_

Jodie gulped quietly, and not from the demonstration.

"So...you're not a monster?"

_"Nope."_ he chirped. _"Hey, you don't mind if I stick around for a bit, do ya? As I am now, I'm not entirely sure how to get to the afterlife in this sorry state. Besides, I don't understand half of the scientic mumbo jumbo I heard around here already. Hmm."_ A thoughtful expression crossed his whiskered face. _"I wonder if I can take another look...aha!"_ As if to punctuate that very statement, he walked through one of the nearby walls, his body vanishing within its confines like the breath from her lungs.

Jodie blinked, half-expecting him to reappear immediately

When he did not, the corner of her mouth turned down in a slight frown. Was he coming back? Had he simply gone? What happened next dashed those fears to ashes.

_"Yup!"_ Seconds later, his head popped back out, grinning. _"Still boring as ever! Hopefully my prank'll get them to lighten up a bit."_

"Prank...?"

Naruto's grin was decidedly impish.

_"I _may_ have created a small hurricane in the offices, short-circuited a few vending machines, and made a teepee in the halls with all their toilet paper. C-grade stuff, really. Now if I brought my A-game, there'd be more than a few water balloons and paint cans, both of which I unfortunately cannot hold like this..._

She giggled quietly, laughing as he stepped out of the wall and back into her room. But all this excitement was tiring. Even now Jodie could feel her eyes beginning to droop. The anxiety that had so filled her being only a few moments ago was nothing more than a distant memory now. She felt a yawn coming on; a hand rose half-heartedly to scrub at her eyes.

"M'sleepy...

_"Oh yeah,"_ Naruto chuckled sheepishly, scratching at the back of his head. _"I woke you up in the first place, didn't I? Why don't you try and go back to bed?"_ At her nervous expression, he hurriedly ammended his early statement. _"Hey, don't worry. I'm not a bad ghost. I'm one of the good guys. Aiden and I will keep an eye out for any monsters, neh?_

"Kay...but can I have a story?" Ghost or not, she wasn't willing to pass up the chance to hear an actual human voice.

_"A story?"_ Naruto almost snorted at her request but then seemed to think better of it. _"Erm...alright."_ Under her hopeful stare, he hesitated. Damn. He'd never been very good at this sort of thing. "_Well, ah...there once was a boy-_

"Did he have a name?"

The blond frowned. _"Why, yes, yes he did. His name was Menma and he was the number one, hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja in his village. Now, Menma was a good boy, but he got into all sorts of trouble..._

What followed was a very _edited _story of his life, all the gory and violent bits removed. He'd chosen Menma instead of his name just to be safe. Looking at Jodie now, he could see it was a wise choice. Her eyes glittered as he regaled her with his exploits-and many of his less than reputable pranks. He'd just made it to the bridge when he realized her eyes were shut. She had fallen asleep.

Naruto sighed, staring down at the little girl in her pink pajamas. She looked so frail and innocent when she was asleep. With a soft, almost fatherly smile, he reached down and touched at her head, stroking a strand of auburn hair out of her eyes. She murmurred softly in her sleep. Satisfied, he returned his attention to the wall. Aiden mumbled an inquiry.

_"Yeah,"_ Naruto nodded. _"Cute lil' bugger, ain't she? You've been looking after her all this time?"_

He wasn't sure how, but the disembodied spirit managed a grunt. Naruto chuckled.

That was when he saw it.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw something move in the black. Without thinking, he waved a hand, shattering it - whatever it was, to a thousand pieces before it could make so much as a sound. Blue eyes flashed crimson. He saw more in his peripheals but the stranges entities-if they could be called such-shrank back at the sight of him. For some odd reason, they refused to approach him. A muted hiss fled from the ghost's lips.

_**"Beat it."**_

And they did. The strange denizens of the dark vanished back from whence they'd come. Just like that.

He could feel Aiden's gaze boring into his back.

_"What? Sorry, did you want to handle them?"_

A mute silence followed, leaving him with the distinct sensation that he'd just trod upon a verbal landmine. _"Hey now, I didn't mean to offend."_ Aiden's reply was quite curt. _"Welll hey, how was I to know that they were real?" his gaze drifted back to where he'd last seen the creature. No monsters like that where I come from. This happens often?"_

Another grunt.

_"Well, then. Might have to stick around a little longer than I thought."_

Content, he faded back into the night.

_"Sleep well, Jodie."_

**A/N: And there we go. Naruto's passed on, and he's hanging around as a mischief-making. ghost, his ever-loving and cheerful self. Just a cute little oneshot...or not depending on what ya'll think.**

**So, in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kindly? Unless you want to deal with an angry Aiden...**

**R&amp;R!=D**


	2. The Party

**A/N: Still I return again! Things have been absolutely crazy for me as of the last few months what with the surgeries and all, but now at long last, I feel I can devote my attentions to this fic anew as I've intended to do! Of course, now that they're not cutting me OPEN anymore to work on my heart I've also come up with a quite a few new ideas! I can promise ya'll that the next few chappys are going to be nothing short of absolutely brilliant! So sorry for the wait! There's a bit of a long author's note this time, because there are a few matters I want to address.**

****But I also want to bring something to your attention. I've been putting this off for a while, but this needed to be done. I have PURGED many of my older works. That's right, I've delted or adopted off many of the stories that I will no longer be continuing. Fear not, my most popular fics will remain, but most of my old stuff from back in 2008 and 2009, when I had no idea what I was doing is being all but removed from the site. Out with the old, in with the new, as they say! Still, if anyone is interested in any of my old stuff, say the word and its yours to continue. But I've held ya'll up long enough!****

**Now that we've addressed all those issues, I just wanted to say: Thank you. To all of you who reviewed and have yet to review, and especially those who noticed my improved writing style. You all know who you are. I look forward to hearing more from you as we continue down the strange, convulted path that is this story. I honestly cannot believe I've already gotten so many reviews for the first chapter alone, and now its so damn high I could cry with joy! Hopefully I won't dissapoint you guys! **

**Which brings me to my next point of interest. I'm sick. Really sick of getting flak from people for dedicating time and precious resources to my works, only to be assailed by those who are dissapointed that I'm not going to stick to canon in some of my stories. This is fanfiction, damnit!**

**The latest chapter of Imperfection is a prime example of this and its beginning to grate on my last nerve. So, I...say this. I'm DONE. Just, done. If ya'll don't want to read some of my works then I won't grace you with them. My health is atrocious, and I'm STILL dedicating time to this site, knowing that some like my works. But I'm sick and tirned of all the hate I've been gettingin this last year- which is seriously causing me to wonder whether I should just drop this site altogether and move on. I dunno. Maybe I just don't like it when I've devoted so much time to something and a large group of people dedicate themselves to tearing it down. Who knows?**

** M****aybe I'm just contemplating out loud. But to any writer reading this, you probably understand where I'm coming from. It wears on the soul to not have your work appreciated, doesn't it? I know you can't please them all but this...is ridiculous. Speaking of Souls, I've just finished Beyond Two Souls atm when I thought of a cute little oneshotxcrossover. I searched on the site an it turns out that no one's bothered to do one. None in _English_ at any rate. Lets remedy that, shall we? Spoilers ahead!**

** And with that...**

**...onto the story! =D Fair warning, there's a tiiiiiiny bit of language in this chap...and I apologize for any OOCness. Now...enjoy! And prepare to smile.**

_"Nobody messes with my girl..._

_~?_

**The Party**

"What did you do?!"

Jodie stared unflinchingly ahead, unblinking as her mother shrieked at her, her little face still wet with tears. Only a few yards away, Phillip lay on the floor. Cold. Daddy was dead. Naruto had killed him. She hadn't told him to stop. She could've stopped him. Used Aiden to make him stop. But she hadn't. Deep down, she'd wanted him to die. She'd never liked daddy-he was always shouting at her and hitting her and _hurting _her. She'd hated that he was taking mummy away from her and leaving, leaving the base, leaving her alone. Then Naruto struck him.

Now daddy was dead.

"You're a demon, Jodie!" Mummy railed at her. "A MONSTER! YOU_-urk!"_

Those words died off with a pained _croak, _as her body jerked into a wall. Gasping she collapsed, clutching at her throat. Jodie could see Naruto towering over her mother, his eyes red and angry. Finally, Jodie found her voice again, realizing what was about to happen.

"Naruto, no!"

_**"You...you people make me sick!"**_ He ignored her desperate cries, instead turning his wrath on her still sobbing mother. **_"How dare you call your own flesh and blood a monster!" _**his voice sounded like a slow moving avalanche, infused with anger and malice and so much _hate _that Jodie actually cringed.

"Security!" Nathan barked!

"Naruto!"

The furious ghost didn't listen to either of them; a savage kick sent her mother's body sailing to join that of her father's. Jodie screamed. Aiden hovered closer to her, a silent sentinel standing in judgement of what was happening. He made no move to help Naruto, but neither did he oppose him.

Instead the little girl was left to watch what happened next, numb as a security team stormed the room, seizing her hysterical mother and ushering her outside. Another grabbed her father's corpse. They came and left in a blur, leaving her alone with the two men. Still, she said nothing.

Nathan stared at his charge in quiet disbelief.

"Jodie, I know you're upset, but why did you use Aiden to-

"It wasn't Aiden."

The man blinked. "What?"

"It was Naruto."

There was a moment of collective silence. Cole and Nathan exchanged a glance.

"Who?"

"Naruto." she repeated quietly, her voice little more than a whisper. "He doesn't like it when I cry." she continued, words dropping into a mere monotone. "Daddy made him angry. So he knocked Daddy down." As if to punctuate that statement, the door slammed shut with a harsh crack. A profound silence fell over the two scientists. Finally, Nathan adjusted his spectacles and seemed to recover a modicum of speech. Torn betweeen scientific fascination, sympathy, and abject horror, he somehow still managed to pose the question on both their minds.

"Jodie...is there anyone else in the room with us?" he asked, crouching down to her level.

She shook her head slowly.

"Just them."

"I see."

"Lets, ah," he swallowed visibly. "Would you like something to eat, then?"

Jodie nodded quietly.

"I'd like that."

* * *

_(Years later...)_

"I don't like this."

Jodie eyed the door with fear and trepidation, regarding the wooden arch as though it might somehow rear back and bite off her head. She was older now she told herself; going to a party with a few kids her age wasn't nearly as terrifying as the prospect of staying on the base. She'd been pestering Nathan about this forever anyway. Weeks now. Fretfully she clutched at her present, a rare book of poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Somehow she doubted Kirsten would like it very much.

But that wasn't the reason she dithered; no, Jodie was hesitating because she was scaredout of her wits. She couldn't bring herself to step forward and ring the doorbell. She'd much rather be back at the institution-on the base were everything was safe and she didn't have this terrible social anxiety looming over head. Back on base she didn't have to worry how she looked-how this horrible dress appeared-didn't need to fret over her makeup or other, girly stuff. Nothing she could do about it now.

Besides, Nathan had already driven away; it wasn't as if she could call him back cuz she'd chickened out at the last second. It was a birthday party for crying out loud! Sure, she didn't know Kirsten, but she worked with her mother...so how bad could this possibly be? She supposed she already knew the answer. Horrible. Terrible. She might run out in tears for all she knew. Her next regret was that a certain _someone, _was missing. She hadn't seen Naruto for the last three days-it was as if he'd simply stopped existing. Had he finally passed on?

Aiden murmurred reassuringly.

"Yeah," she muttered. "I know, I know...I thought he'd be here, too."

_"Of course I'm here!"_

With a start, her gaze flicked to her elbow and searched for the voice. Nothing. Jodie spun, still scanning her surroundings. Then someone tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped. _Naruto!_ Sure enough, there he was in all his spectral splendor. Huh. Did he look more...solid than before?

"You came!" If he wasn't a ghost, Jodie would've hugged him. As it were, her companion merely smiled.

_"Hey, I'm not about you walk into a den of lions by yourself."_

Her stare was telling.

_"What? Teenagers are scary! Especially the pink-haired ones with green eyes. Gotta watch those."_

Jodie huffed, the smallest of smiles plucking at her lips. "I...kinda doubt anybody has pink hair in there."

_"You never know!"_

Naruto and Aiden shared a laugh; or what she assumed was one.

That was the thing about ghosts; they didn't _age._ Naruto still looked exactly as he had on the day they'd first met, a boy somewhere in his late teens. The same, prank-loving ninja, who seemed to delight in making her life a living hell with the consequences of her acitions. Not that she minded. It only sucked when they got caught. Like that time Nathan had seen fit to ground her for a week after _someone_ saw fit to replace their entire food stock with ramen. Naruto had Aiden had been howling about that for a week! Those two, always acting like rambuntious little kids...

_"Weeeell, would you rather I looked like an old man?"_ he offered. His voice was stronger now than it had been a few years ago, laced with just a touch of dry humor. _"I could do that, if you want. All I'd need to do is get a beard, grow a few inches, maybe deepen my voice a bit-_

"What?" she started in abect horror. "No! No, no, no! I like you just the way you are!"

_"Alright, alright, I was just kidding. Anyways, __I gotcha something. Here." _he nudged a small parcel at his foot-one that seemed to have appeared just as suddenly as he. "Anything's better than that musty old book." All of an instant passed between them before Jodie reached down for it.

"What is it?" she frowned down at the dark green wrapping, clumsy as it was. He still wasn't all that skilled when it cam to interacting with the physical world. Who knew what was wrapped within?

_"A thong."_

"NARUTO!"

_"Kidding! Its a diary. Girls like to write in those, don't they?"_

Jodie could've sworn Aiden was smirking. Insufferable faceless bastard.

Having a second ghost with pyschic powers her on occassion wasn't so bad, really. Naruto wasn't bound to her like Aiden was; though he was prone to cause trouble when left to his own devices. He could even possess people now. Back when they'd first met, she could barely see him. Now he wasn't nearly as transparent; though she could still see the street through his back there was a solidity to him that simply hadn't been there a few years ago. And now he was here. That was all the courage she needed.

Gulping, she marched up to the porch and rang the doorbell.

* * *

The party started off well enough.

Mere moments after she rang the doorbell, Kirsten's mother ushered her inside, one foot out the door before she even walked in. No sooner had she departed than Kirsten broke out the beer and dimmed the lights. She graciously chose the music, which was promptly changed, and declined both the offered beer and cigarette. She wandered aimlessly for a time-Naruto and Aiden trailing after her-entirely uncertain of what to do. Finally she took a seat and just watched the other girls dance.

Then came Matt.

"Hi," he began, "Jodie, right? I'm-

Whatever else he might've said ended as his body spasmed violently.

_-cutting in."_ a cheery voice chimed from his mouth.

"Naruto?!" she hissed, recognizing the bright blue eyes right away. "What are you doing?!"

_"Enjoying the party,"_ it was his voice, not Matt's that emerged. _"Oops. Better fix that._ There." When he spoke again, the voice belonged to the brit. "Better?" Jodie wanted to condemn him for so casually claiming a host like this, but she knew nothing she said would change the ghost's mind. Naruto was a willfull wraith; once his mind was set there was almost nothing she could do to change it. She was certain he was just trying to help her feel more comfortable, but this was out of hand, even for him.

"Why are you doing this?!" she whispered.

"Ain't it obvious?" he shrugged, crossing both arms behind his head. "I'm giving you someone to talk to."

"By killing him?" they both knew what happened when the blond possessed someone for too long; after an hour, the body tried to change. To become him. And the host almost always died as a result. Painfully. Millions of tests had been run in an attempt to discover why, but none had succeeded. Maybe it had something to do with his chakra coils. He'd told her about them once, explained how they alllowed him to achieve feats that'd make even the most skilled athelete balk by comparison. But bodies weren't meant to grow the coils from scratch; the body of an average human simply couldn't handle it. Matt was going to die because of this.

"Meh, I won't let him die." Naruto snorted. "He'll just get a little sick, is all."

"That doesn't mean-

His ears perked up as the music slowed.

"Oh, I've got an _idea~!"_

Jodie inadvertantly bristled at that familiar tone, her gaze sweeping away from Kirsten and the others near the dance floor and back toward Naruto, as she heard those words. Uh-oh. He was smiling. Her shoulder brushed him in passing, her thigh nigh but grazing his as he moved to block her relfexive attempt to flee. There was something about the gesture, the closeness of their bodies, borrowed though his was, that sent a warm tingle shooting through her chest and spiraling upwards into her cheeks. He couldn't! He wouldn't!

Ah, but he would!

"No." she jerked back when Naruto tried to guide her off her seat toward the dancers. "Naruto...I can't do it."

"Yes, you can!"

Jodie met the sapphire blue eyes in battle. "I _said_ no!

Naruto cocked his head and smiled playfully. "But I want so badly to hear yes!"

"NO!" She said sternly, raising both her eyebrows to convey her seriousness.

"It'll be fuuuuun," Naruto sing-songed, moving closer.

"No, it will be awful!" her fingrtips curling inward on her dress, reacting to her stress. "Go without me! Dance with someone else, o-or something!" No way. She refused to step into that trap. To dance with the ghost of a long dead warrior, a fellow teenager no less, one for whom she'd actually started to fall-ah, damnit.

"Not happening, Jodie." Naruto grabbed her then, a long arm en-snaring the slender curve of her waist and drawing her close. Despite her objection, Jodie found herself powerless to resist any longer, the last brick of her resolve crumbling as she meekly took his hand in hers. In that instant it was as if his warmth had driven all her anxiety away, any lingering fears and doubts simply ceased to be. There was only the warmth of his hand on hers, too soothing to be anything else, prickling under her skin. It comforted her, reassured her, whispered quiet promises that everything will be alright.

She was looking into the eyes of murderer...and she felt perfectly safe. Naruto had possessed her father, all those years ago. Her cruel, cruel father, so cold and callous and utterly uncaring for her tears. He hadn't even tried to sugarcoat the news that they were leaving. She'd seen it in his eyes. So had Naruto. Then he'd stopped Phillip's heart from beating. A quick and quiet death-one he hadn't deserved. He'd killed him. Yet here she was, trusting the man who'd murdered him? What a strange world...

"Alright...

Demurely, she allowed herself to be led away and onto the dance floor-painfully aware of everyone's stares. Naruto didn't care. He simply drew her close to him, his hands taking up residence on her waist. Jodie felt her cheeks heat up. When she looked at Matt she saw Naruto's face. The dance wasn't complicated, when he moved, Jodie moved, trying not to make a fool of herself. All the while aware of that gentle smirk playing across his lips, as though he had always known how to do it. She secretly suspsected he'd been boning up on social etiquette in preparation for this very moment. Had he planned this whole thing out she wondered? Or was it merely another act of spontanieuty at work? In the end Jodie finally decided it didn't matter; she was happy and she was content, just to be here with him.

"See?" his breath was warm on her face. "Its nice, isn't it?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

"I guess...

Her heart leapt into her throat when he pulled her closer then closer still-their faces nearly touching as they moved seamlessly into the next dance. Their bodies moved together effortlessly, she following his lead and he moving just slowly enough for her to match his movements. Unbidden her eyes flicked up to his and froze-held their by the inteinsity of those burning blue orbs. Would it be so wrong to tell him how it felt? That she had developed these feelings for him? That she l-l-loved...

"Naruto?"

He said nothing, he simply stared back at her as they danced; Jodie cursed her shortness not for the first time. Why did he have to be so tall?! It was downright intimidating!

"I...I wanted to tell you...

"Jodie?"

"Y-Yes?" she blushed; that grin made her heart skip a beat.

_"Stop talking."_

Jodie wasn't sure who kissed whom, only that their lips were suddenly together, her mouth pressing gently against his. Her heart had leapt before, now it was doing tripple backflips! Still his lips held her, refusing to be budged in the slightest. Not that she wanted him to move. She'd much rather they stay just like this. Here. Forever. But all good things must end, and so too did this, the musics trailing away as everyone suddenly took notice of this strange pair kissing their queen.

"You...?"

With a wink, he was gone, leaving Matt behind to reel away and half-stumble toward the bathroom. Jodie felt her face burn a hundred shades of pink as she whirled away. Aiden was decidedly quiet throughout. Was he sulking, she wondered? Naruto was gone again, doubtlessly off to make some more mischief or another. When they asked to see this "Gift"of hers, she declined. Almost immediately afterward Kirsten announced that it was time for cake and presents, and of course the presents came first.

That was when the shit hit the fan.

"What the hell is this crap?" she jolted to her feet, the other present all but forgotten. "You came all the way just to give me this?"

"What, did you steal it from your grandfathers library?" Steven snorted.

"No, its a rare book of poems...

Emma sneered.

"Yeah, because you're so entitled. What's with that dress, anyway?"

Kirsten was equally quick to jump in. "I never wanted to invite you anyway. It was my mom's idea."

"But...

They crowded around her like a pack of hyenas, sensing her weakness.

"No...I...

"We should, you know, do something to her." Jenn said. "What do they do to witches?"

"We BURN them!" Emma laughed.

Jodie screamed as someone pushed a hot cigarette into her arm. Everyone, sans Matt, grabbed her and hauled her off her feet, hoisting her away and toward the stairs. She screamed and cried and bucked, trying with all her might to throw them off but to no avail; they were legion, and she was but one girl; powerless to do anything as they dragged her out of the darkened room and towards the door.

Then all hell broke loose.

The door leading to the porch suddenly flung itself open ahead of them. Revealed was Matt, his eyes shimmering an unholy red. _Naruto._ He'd possessed him again. Something in that soulless stare made her shudder. A ghost didn't have those eyes. Naruto surely didn't.

"What the hell is this?" he snarled; it was a deep, throaty sound.

Kirsten smirked.

"Oh, its just-

Jodie realized too late what he intended to do; because, Kirsten was suddenly on the ground, bleeding from the head. Jenniffer went next, screaming as a knife -the very knife that had been used to cut the cake- sank into her thigh to the hilt. Emma didn't even have time to shriek as his foot snapped out, catapaulting her into and over the couch like a rag doll. The remaining boy-Steven-whirled, goggle-eyed as the possessed blond lowered Jodie to the floor and out of harms way.

"Oh god, I knew you'd come," she whimpered, makeup-tinged tears spilling down her cheeks until they ran clear. Naruto nodded.

...then rounded on Steven with a hiss.

"Matt, what the hell?!"

Naruto said nothing to him, a claw-like hand clamping down around his throat. In the next instant he slammed down into the floor with enough force to shatter his spine and the ground beneath. The foundation yielded with with an audible crack, cratering beneath the impact. Jodie could see what was happening to Matt now-whiskers standing out starkly on his cheeks. Naruto was changing him. Killing him, to use the power he'd once wielded during life. She could see the cracks spreading across his body, angry red trenches revealing the shimmering power beneath. In that instant, Naruto wasn't a ghost. He was a _demon._

And she was powerless to stop him.

Part of her delighted in the chaos. She wanted revenge. She wanted to see them suffer.

In the end she simply stood there as he made Matt stalk to the phone and dialed 911.

"Hello," he began in a deceptively calm voice. His own. "I'd like to report an assault and battery at the address of...

Jodie's world seemed to fade in and out as he spoke, blurring in dark greys. She was in shock, she realized. She finally came back to herself as a pair of hands settled around her shoulders. Naruto. He was still wearing Matt's skin, but she could see it sloughing off; if he didn't release him soon the boy would surely die. And, even if he did, his brain would probably hemhorrage in under twenty minutes. His head jerked toward the door, dropping the shell of his host even as he moved. Matt slumped against the wall, mumbing incoherently.

"Lets go." Naruto mutttered, phasing through the door and stalking out onto the lawn. "I've had enough of this party."

"That was...

Aiden burbbled approvingly, swatting a nearby candle from its perch. Jodie didn't even notice as it caught on a nearby curtain, sending whispers of black smoke shooting upward.

...incredible." she finished.

* * *

_"Hey!"_

Nathan nearly swerved into oncoming traffic and let go of the wheel altogether as a voice popped into his head. Swearing he stomped on the brakes, sending his vehicle screeching to a halt. He didn't panic at the frigid prescence in his head, though he did shiver as the temperature plumetted in his sedan. This was a prescence he had felt several times before and he knew better than to ask what the entity known as Naruto was doing communicating with him out of the blue.

"What is it?"

_"Jodie needs to be picked up."_

"What did you do?"

_"Well," _The spectre sounded surprisingly contrite,_ "I may have broken a few bones. Cracked a few heads. Stabbed a few people."_

"You what?!"

_"Hey, that's nothing compared to what Aiden did! He set the bloody house on fire! And besides, they were hurting her. Couldn't let that stand. None of them are dead..."_

Nathan groaned, raising a hand to massage his now throbbing temples. He could feel a migraine coming. "You attacked a group of _teenagers?_ You're starting to push the boundaries of what I can tolerate here...

The shinobi's reply was equally stern.

_"You owe me."_

There was a silence. "Yes," he consented at last. "I suppose I do."

Unbidden, his mind flashed back to the first time he'd been truly contacted by this enigmatic entity...

* * *

_(Flashback)_

_"They shouldn't go on that trip."_

_Professor Nathan Dawkins jumped as an icy cold voice blasted into his ear. Jumping, he spun in his chair, searching for whomever had spoken. No one was there. He was alone in his office. Just as he had been for the same three hours. It was nearing early morning in winter, the heat cranked up as high as he dared. Tomorrow his family would be making a trip to their mother. But now there was a chill in the air-as if someone had cranked the air conditioning to max. _

_Even as he looked on, the lights flickered. Computers went dim. As if the entire room was on the fritz, posssessed by something or other-oh god._

_"Jodie?" he asked, rising from his desk. "Jodie, is that you?"_

_Silence._

_"Aiden?"_

_His computer flashed a message in green lettering. "No."_

_Nathan started._

_"Who...?"_

**_"Me."_**

_He jumped as a face appeared on his screen. Blonde hair and blue eyes. Whiskered cheeks. Just as Jodie had once drawn. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but all the evidence-including his eyes-pointed to the prescence of a departed soul in his prescence. Naruto. The ghost that had been wreaking havoc on their facility for the past few days. The one who had murdered Philip. Speaking to him, here and now._

_"Tell your wife and daughter to delay their trip, doctor." the boy said. "Their very lives depend on it."_

_"What?" Nathan blinked. "How do you know this?"_

_A smirk. __"I've recently come by some precognitive powers..._

_"How can I trust you?"_

_"You can't. But you will. Or your family will die." Without another word, the screen flicked off and power was restored._

_Nathan hesitated. But if the safety of his family was truly at stake..._

_With trembling fingers, he picked up the phone and dialed in the number. She answered almost immediately._

_"Nathan, what...?_

_"Helen, why don't you take that trip next weekend?"_

_His wife didn't understand his reasoning, but in the end, she agreed. Such a simple little thing, the tiniest of ripples. Nathan didn't know what caused him to trust the spirit. Only that he had. _

_It would change his life in more ways than one._

_(End Flashback)_

* * *

_"Dear god..._

By the time he finally arrived, the fire department and the police had already been called. Jodie stood off to one side, watching as a blond boy was hauled into a police cruiser. She looked oddly...satisfied. Not the same shy little girl whom he'd dropped off only a few hours ago. Something had happened to her. Nathan bolted out of the car, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. The house was on fire. It looked as if a small war had taken place since he'd left.

And Jodie was just _standing_ there.

"Jodie, what...?"

She turned her head a fraction of an inch, her dark eyes reflecting nothing.

"I want to go home." was all she said.

Nathan gulped. "Yes...perhaps that would be for the best." He didn't see the beaming blond only a few steps behind her, didn't notice as the apparition smoothly settled into the seat beside her. He was grinning like the world was coming to an end; because in a sense, it had. Jodie's naivete had died today. No one would be able to hurt her ever again. Naruto smiled proudly at the thought; it warmed his nonexistent bones to know that he had done some good today in the life of his ward...the girl for whom he'd come to care over these years. He chuckled softly as Nathan shifted gears and began to drive away:

_"Nobody messes with my girl."_

**A/N: And there we go. Naruto's passed on, and he's hanging around as a mischief-making. ghost, his ever-loving and cheerful self. No longer a oneshot by popular demand! And as you can see, he doesn't take kindly to Jodie being bullied. Neither does Aiden! I'm trying to follow this chronologically as best I can; the game itself tended to jump around a lot. And since I'm following the canon timeline, I suppose ya'll know what's coming next, hmm?**

**So, in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kindly? Unless you want to deal with an angry Aiden...!**

**R&amp;R!=D**


	3. Not Like Other Girls

**A/N: LONG LIVE REQUEST WEEK! This story got a TON of votes, so here we be! Why did I stop writing this before, you ask? Simple. Flamers. I could name names and go on a nasty rant about the little shits, but I suppose you all already know the main culprit behind all this *cough*Doommarine54*cough* by now, so lets just move onto the story then, shall we? I've got a wedding to get ready for tomorrow and after that I am a very busy bee! Soooo...**

**ENJOY!**

**Fair warning, there's a tiiiiiiny bit of language in this chap, some sensuality...and I apologize for any OOCness tha may pop up. I'm working to address that and keep everyone as we all know and love 'em, am I right?. Now...enjoy! Apologies if its not the length ya'll are used to, I didn't want to cover too much in the span of one chapter**

**And prepare to smile. Warning! Gets a bit bloody towards the end...**

**As well as a slight Fourth Wall break.**

**Try and find it!**

**I DARE ye.**

_"Ahahaha! I spy a body!"_

_"No, no, you don't!"_

_"Oh, yes I do!"_

_~?_

**Not Like Other Girls**

_"Aaaaaargh!"_

Jodie shrieked aloud, crying out in sheer frustration as she threw herself onto the bed and buried her head in her pillow. Her nest shout was stifled by the soft, feathery fabric and somehow, that made her even angrier. She couldn't believe this! She'd begged and pleaded, cried and wailed, all to no avail. Nathan had stood firm-even more so than usual!-remaining rigid in his resolve. She'd been forbidden from going out tonight, which usually wouldn't have bothered her all that much.

But tonight...!

Everyone else was going! So why couldn't she?!

But noooooo, Nathan didn't understand. He didn't even _try _to understand. Knowing that somehow made it worse. First came anger, then despair, followed shortly by cutting sorrow. Now she'd come full circle and found blazing defiance once more.

Nathan's words still cracked at her like a whip, sharp and painful, cutting to the bone, fanning the flames.

_"You'll never be _like_ other girls, Jodie." he'd told her curtly, sternly. "Its time you realized that."_

Aaaand now she was _past_ the heat, her anger like glacial ice; a frozen lake of wrath.

She was too like other girls! She had feelings!

She could feel! Hate!_ Love!_

What did he know?!

It wasn't fair!

Every other girl her age was going out! Why should _she_ have to stay in?! No! That settled it! One way or another, she was going out tonight. But how? Trashing her room had only earned her a mild rebuke from Cole, if even that. But surely there was a way. She had two all-powerful ghosts as her best friends. Surely she could figure something out...

She waited in silence for a long moment, anxiety clawing at her. "Aiden? Are you there?"

A soft burble answered her almost immediately. Then, hoping against hope, she asked for someone else. She knew he was angry with her. He had every right to be, given what had happened recently. But even so, she clung to the desperate ideal that he would never truly leave her. At least she hoped not.

"Naruto...?"

A growl was his reply; he didn't even manifest.

_"I'm not talking to you."_

"Oh c'mon, don't be angry." she begged. "I didn't mean to insult your favorite food."

_"You said you liked ramen. But you threw it away! Lies! Treachery!"_

"And I'm sorry for that," Jodie cut him off before he could build up steam and explode into a full blown rant. "I didn't know Ramen was so important to you." To be fair, she hadn't. She simply didn't like the stuff, in spite of all

_"Ramen is everything! Ramen is all!"_ A quick pause followed, as he seemed to consider that statement. _"Well, its a close second to you."_ Her cheeks colored prettily at his remark, a flicker of warmth igniting itself in her breast. But the hook was already baited. Now she just needed him to bite. He wasn't like Aiden, he was tricky, clever, fiendishly handsome...

_Easy, girl!_

Smacking down her libido before it could betray her thoughts, the teen turned her attention to a soft shimmer besides the wall; where she secretly suspected the ghostly blond was lurking. Sure enough, an errant piece of furniture went flying the moment she focused her gaze on it. She could almost see him now, despite his half-hearted attempts to hide. An impish grin tugged at the corner of her mouth. Scooting just a bit closer, she gave the distorted space a hard poke with her index finger. The slight numbness that followed told her all she needed to know.

"If you help me," she began in a sing-song voice, _"I'll buy you as much ramen as you can eat."_

_"I'm a ghost."_ he-rather his voice-remained put out. _"I don't eat, remember?"_

"Then just possess someone."

_"Promise."_

"Pinky promise."

_...I bow to your wisdom, great mistress!" _

_Gotcha!_

Aiden groaned.

She could all but _hear _Naruto's frown.

_"Hey! It's not my fault, man! I can't help it if I'm a slave to the heavenly goodness that is noodles and broth!"_

Another grumble.

_"You take that back before I slap that smirk of your not-face!"_

"Boys!" Jodie hissed, her voice a whisper. "Breaking out? Remember?"

Cackling, the blond cracked his nonexistent knuckles.

_"Ohhhhh, so that's what this is about? I'm going to enjoy this."_ But then her ramen-loving angel paused. "_First things first, glomp no jutsu!"_

Naruto swarmed into existence all once, veritably throwing himself at her in a flying hug, cloak swirling madly behind him.

Jodie smiled as he passed harmlessly through her despite the faint chills that followed; if there was one thing the blond was exceptionally good at these days-besides sending her heart aflutter!-it was making her smile. In the next instant he was on his feet, drifting around her with a megawatt grin and phasing through the nearest wall. Cole's startled yelp told her all she needed to know about the the whiskered warrior's intentions; a muffled thump echoed in the room beyond and then the door flew ajar, veritably blasting itself from the hinges in its haste to open.

Pausing at the door, the transparent shinobi_-now wearing Cole's body like a new coat-_bowed gallantly, beaming at her with bright blue eyes.

"Ladies first." he beckoned.

"Flatterer." Jodie brushed past him, fighting a grin of her own.

She was so happy she could kiss him!

But not while in Cole's body.

That'd just be weird.

"I try."

Aiden gave him a not-so-subtle nudge.

"Fine." the blond muttered, eyes rolling. "Switch with me."

Behind her, the two apparitions did something of a dance; Naruto phased out of Cole and the luminescent orb that was Aiden shot into the scientist's body. When all was said and done, Jodie's ever-present companion looked practically smug. Naruto shot him a dark look.

"Happy now?"

The possessed man grunted and his lips twitched, the best thing Aiden could manage for a smile.

Muttering blackly about being denied a host but unable to deny him all the same, the blond hurtled past, not bothering to wait for either of them.

He _hated _not having a body.

Loathed it.

Despised it.

All the things Jodie could do that he couldn't. Touch, taste, feel! Sleep, even! Bah, he covered it up with humor and a happy facade well enough, but the painful truth of it all was that he felt...well, almost numb these days. The dearth of this was only made all the more agonizing by the fact that he didn't know how to pass on. Not that he would, mind you. He'd already had his chance, once, in the beginning. A sense of peace came over him, but he'd rejected it out of hand. Jodie would be heartbroken if he were to simply leave without telling her.

So he'd resolved himself to stay.

And he was still here.

Still watching.

Protecting.

Guarding.

Yet he'd had to watch as she grew up, while _he _remained the same. To look on as she went from a frightened little girl to a young woman, only able to truly interact with her in the most fleeting of moments. It was only when he was truly furious that he could interact with the world in a purely physical sense, but even then, those instants were also fleeting.

Add to that

As the years dragged by he found himself becoming more and more detached, more aloof to all but this strange girl who'd first called him here. He hardly even played pranks these days! He was fading, and he knew it. Both in soul and spirit. Give it a few more years and he likely wouldn't be anything more than a memory. One of these days whatever sustained him would falter, and on that day he would truly vanish. Not even a voice in someone's head would remain.

But when he was in a body, it was then that he felt most alive. It felt as if he were strengthening himself with each soul he possessed, every moment he spent in flesh.

Intoxicating.

Yes, he burned them out like old newspapers and _yes _even the strongest of hosts couldn't sustain him for long without falling apart altogether, but he wanted it! Needed it! This ghastly condition was made all the worse if he tried possessing anyone more than once. He'd done that once. Twice. Thrice. Poor sod had fallen apart in a matter of minutes. Still, the rush! To be able to feel, again..to experience all he had lost! Chilling. He was very close to becoming addicted to it, and he didn't want to wonder what might happen if he fell that far.

It wasn't until the door opened behind him that he remembered where he was.

The guard looked up at once, instantly on alert. As well he should be, after the blond's last prank. It was _amazing _what one could do with a few janitorial supplies these days.

"Whoa, there!" the balding fellow shot upright at the sight of Jodie and the possessed Cole swiftly ascending the steps. "What's going-

Naruto darted in before he could finish.

"Sleep." the blond waved a hand before the guard's face as he swept past, fingers forming a tense point. A moment's hesitation and the man's head dropped to the desk with the dull, telltale thunk of forehead meeting wood. The soft sound of his snoring reached their ears nary a moment later, accompanied by a puddle of rapidly forming drool. Jodie blinked, hopelessly lost. It was, all things considered, rather startling for a _ghost _to simply wave their hand and knock someone out cold.

Naruto's grin was positively telling by comparison.

"Since when can you do that?"

"Just recently." her guardian admitted, regarding the slumbering sentry. "Can only do it twice a day, for now. Ready to go, bro?"

A grunt answered.

Jodie demurred.

"Lead the way."

Naruto followed the unlikely pair with a jaunty whistle.

Perhaps, had he known what was to come, well...

...he would've made damn sure she stayed put.

* * *

_(A Short Drive Later...)_

* * *

Naruto made a face.

_"The Red House Bar?"_ he looked up at the flickering neon sign and sniffed, using one of his few remaining senses to balk at the pungent odor of filth and despair. "_This? This is where you were supposed to meet your friends. I call bullshit."_ If it was possible for a ghost to appear disgusted, Naruto most certainly was. Just the look on his face was nearly enough to deter Jodie from entering the greasy establishment outright. It was only the knowledge that friends were within that kept her from turning around and slinking back to the institute with her tail between her legs. They _were _here, the teen told herself.

Weren't they?

Having ordered Aiden to take Cole into the wounds and, in her own words, "Make sure he's safe," she found herself alone with the blond troublemaker for the time being. And oddly enough she felt...apprehensive? Not only was this her first trip to such a grimy-looking establishment, but it was her first time going to a bar with a boy.

An incorporeal one, but a boy nonetheless!

Unbidden, the memory of their first kiss waltzed up and sucker-punched her in the gut like a drunken boxer.

Her cheeks warmed.

_"Jodie-chan,"_ Naruto's voice tugged at her as she started forward, a thorn of sense pricking her and holding her back. _"Maybe this ain't such a good idea."_

"I'll be fine."

Hesitantly, she pushed the door open.

An off-kilter country song assaulted her ears almost immediately upon entry; followed shortly by the stench of cheap booze. The seedy den itself was virtually empty save for the bartender himself, two yokels at the bar watching sports on an outdated television sort of some sort, and a pair of young men playing a rousing game of pool. Not all that rousing, actually, judging by their abysmal attempts to hit any of the multi-colored balls. One of them glanced in her direction as she drifted past, and for a fleeting beat of her heart, she thought she saw Naruto in his gaze.

But no the face was all wrong with the cheekbones, he was somewhat muscular where the ninja was slender, and his hair came cropped _far_ too short.

Still, something to look at, at least.

In the end she claimed a seat at the far side of the room and resolved herself to wait. The barkeep-Sam, judging by his name tag-trundled over and inquired about her age, relenting only when she told him she wanted nothing more than a lemonade. Naruto's gaze followed the stout man until he'd gotten back behind the bar once more. Even then it still lingered on the man and his "friends" for several minutes as Jodie nursed her soft beverage and her own, quiet doubts about this place.

It wasn't long before Naruto chimed in.

_"Not seeing any of your...friends."_ Judging by the way he choked on the last word, he clearly didn't think much of the girls whom she associated with. _"Are you sure this is the place?"_ He couldn't spit in Sam's direction, but he looked very much like he wanted to.

"Positive. They're just...late, that's all."

_"Jodie, I think we've been had."_

Blue eyes flicked to one of the young men playing pool.

Naruto grinned.

_"Ahahaha!"_ he crowed! _"I spy a new body! Here, this'll cheer you up."_

Jodie stiffened, a halfhearted protest leaping from her lips as the ethereal shinobi drifted forward.

"No, no, you don't!"

_"Oh, yes I do!"_

One of the pool players-the cute one with blond hair-stiffened slightly, his entire body going rigid as the ninja's spirit plunged into him. He remained that way for several seconds more before he fell slack, gasping quietly and clutching at his chest. A few quick words to his compatriot to assure him that yes, he was alright, another handful to send him on his way by himself, and it wasn't long at all before Naruto found himself alone at the pool table, merrily twirling the cue on his fingers. Jodie recognized the grin straight away.

"Hey there, good looking." Naruto drawled. "Come here often?"

"Naruto, stop." Jodie protested as he drifted closer, claiming the seat beside her. "Give it back."

"Why?" the blond retorted, discarding the pool cue to the floor with a clatter and folding both arms before his chest. "This boy's tougher than most folks. He's got a few hours at _least _before I do any real damage to him. C'mon, isn't this better than just sitting there all by your lonesome? Let's _do_ something! Have some fun! Anything's better than this." A hand-an actual, physical hand-slid over hers and it took everything she had not to melt through the chair into a mumbling pile of goo at his feet.

Half a beat passed.

Jodie groaned.

"Fine." she relented, trying-and failing-to suppress the beginnings of a smile. "But you give it back before we leave!"

The blond's head bobbed in agreement.

"Deal."

With that, an awkward silence fell over the two.

"So...now what?" Naruto posited.

Jodie found herself chewing her lip nervously, suddenly unable-but far from unwilling-to meet Naruto's gaze. He was right there. Here. Real enough to touch. For now. Who knew when she'd get another opportunity like this? What did it matter if he was just borrowing a body for the night? He was right _bloody there_ and he was just going to slip away again. She wanted to believe that he could find a body of his own, a physical form that he wouldn't have to abandon after a few hours for fear of killing someone, or ruining a stranger's life.

But he was right! Here! Looking at her!

Giving her that grin!

She couldn't just...

...could she?

These feelings had been a part of her for so long now that she simpy couldn't part with them; they were as much a part of her as the air she breathed. They'd been that way ever since that first fateful party, but without cause to act on them they'd been just that. Feelings. Unrequited, at that. What could she possibly say, expect even, from a ghost? Someone without a body, who could only talk to her at most-who could only reciprocate them by _possessing _someone. Someone who was always there for her, always laughing, always smiling, always ready with a prank, or a funny story, a kind word, a devilish grin that made her heart flutter-

Oh.

Oh God.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus.

She was in love with him.

Now the butterflies in her stomach threatened to leap out of her mouth and make her say something completely foolish. The truth was, she was terrified. Terrified of being alone. For all her fighting, arguing, and bickering with Nathan, she knew his word-on some level-held a small measure of truth. It had become clear to her years ago that she'd never have a typical anything resembling a normal life. It was simply not in the cards, not with Aiden, and _certainly _not with Naruto. That was why these moments of normalcy mattered so much to her. So, yes, she was terrified of being alone.

The thought of rejection terrified her even more.

What would happen if she told him and he turned her down?

Would he leave?

Vanish?

She couldn't bear the thought.

Naruto's mind stood on the same side of the spectrum. Of course he cared about Jodie. How could he not?! He wouldn't be here it he didn't! Unfortunately, it was that same care that had him presently wishing he could simply slam his head into the table. He couldn't deny that Jodie was...well, a very lovely young woman. Said woman was presently making eyes at him. He'd be a damned fool not to notice. Death has a way of stripping away your naivete and wising you up. Add to that the fact that he hadn't aged a day since they met, and well, things got awkward. Throw in the fact that he was a ghost who couldn't perform _any _of the physical aspects of a relationship on his own and well...

Again, she'd become a very lovely young woman indeed.

A woman who he was having a great deal

Toss in a handful of wild teenage hormones which neither Naruto-nor the body he was presently inhabiting-or Jodie had ever grown out of and you had a recipe for disaster. Or success, depending on your point of view; because eventually one of them finally decided to stop dancing around the other and actually _do _something!

...what?"

Now, Naruto wasn't entire conscious of when-or how quickly for that matter-his hand ended up on her cheek. Only that it did. He was just about to pull back when Jodie leaned her head into his palm, sighing softly. With that the damn broke and he felt the last brick in the wall of his resistance crumble away to dust. He rushed forward and before his brain could think better of it, tilted her mouth up to meet his, and held her there. To his brief surprise Jodie had been waiting for just this very moment. Scarce had their lips met than she broke the lip-lock and moved; nearly leaping from her chair in her haste to get to him.

"Hey, now wait a sec-

"Don't. Move." The words were a growl, veritably pinning him in place. "I swear to God, I'm going to _kill_ you if you move right now."

"Well, I'm a ghost so you can't really-

_"Naruto."_

"Yes, ma'am!"

So he stayed the hell put.

Discarding her seat in favor of climbing into his lap, Jodie settled against Naruto, the light weight of her body pushing him down to the chair when he thought to rise. That, and doing wonderful things to him down below, though her flush told him she was all too aware of his own arousal. More so when his hands latched to her waist and drew her closer still. Incidentally hiking up her skirt in the process of course, but soon forgetting that altogether as Jodie _moaned_, her tongue swirling with his.

Caressing her thigh, her moan became an anxious whimper.

"Don't stop," she pleaded, tilting her head back for his lips.

"Hey!" a rough voice called, distracting them from their pleasant daze. "Why don't you stop sucking that boy's face and shoot some pool, darlin'?"

Jodie went slack against him, her cheeks burning from equal parts embbarassment and arousal.

Naruto stiffened.

"I'm afraid we'll have to decline."

"Aw, don't be like that!"

"And enter the idiots."

"What was that?!"

Whether emboldened by one too many beers or sheer male testosterone, the men didn't listen. Instead the duo moved from their place at the the pool table to encircle them, the larger of the two leering down at Jodie with something that could only loosely be called lust. All in all, they weren't much of a threat. The balding man's drawling, country accent struck a nerve in the ghostly blond, however.

"What did you say, boy?"

The dutiful blond gently removed himself from Jodie, drained the last of his glass, and stood slowly.

"I said you are an idiot." he looked them up and down, eyes burning. "I'd challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you're unarmed. Now, why don't just go the hell home and we can forget this ever.

_Whack!_

The blond took the resultant punch right on the jaw.

"Oof! Actually felt that one!"

"Leave him alone!"

"C'mon, leave the boy and get with a real man-

Naruto stumbled back a step, weaving away from the other man, and in that instant the larger of the two pounced, Earl using his sheer bulk to pin Jodie against the pool table. For a fleeting instant she found herself trapped, unable to move. Petrified, she kicked out with both her feet, not daring to look at those rotten teeth, to feel that coarse, greasy palm running against her bare thigh-

_Mistake._

"Yeow! You bitch!"

When he dared to lean in she bit his nose with enough force to draw blood, and that was all the distraction a certain blond needed.

Naruto swooped in before the man could make good on his threat, eyes burning like coals in the back of his stolen skull. Seizing him by the back of his hair he gave Earl a vicious tug, jerking him backwards with a swift flick of the wrist. His victim howled in pain but the blond simply yanked harder, smashing his ugly mug against an empty table before hurling him across the bar to crash against the liquor cabinet. His body struck with a harsh crack and did not rise again. In that aspect at least, Earl was luckier than most.

He lived.

Frank and Sam weren't quite so fortunate.

For the newly arrived _Aiden_ chose that moment to come hurtling across the room, taking hold of the latter with a roar of pure, protective fury. Sam's now-possessed body went tense for all of an instant, the bartender's jaw hanging slack as he found himself severed from control of a body. With stiff, jerky movements he reached behind the counter to where he kept his shotgun, and that was the end off that. One shot to put down the unsuspecting Frank, and another right up under the chin for himself.

Hyperventilating, Jodie clamored off the table.

Naruto was there to catch her, and, despite the burning red cracks in the visage of his host, she'd never been more happy to see that friendly face.

"Are you al-

Jodie ignored him, marched right over to Sam's fallen form and snatched up the shotgun, ignoring the blond's startled squawk. Then, before he could think to stop her, she leaped over the counter and after a moment of fumbling with the stock of the unfamiliar weapon, took aim at Earl's battered back. A sliver of hesitation to find the trigger, another as Naruto darted across the room. Jodie thrust him away with an elbow to the gut and renewed her cold task. Judging by the insensate groans issuing forth from Earl's glass-and-booze-shrouded form he was still breathing. He might even live, if he received prompt medical attention.

Unacceptable.

Red stained her vision crimson, a shroud of sheer scarlet obliterating all sense, all thought, all rationale.

He'd tried to...to...to...!

"Oi, Jodie! Don't!"

Too late.

Shrieking, she squeezed the trigger.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Only when the weapon finally clicked empty was her mind able to process what she had done. Dark eyes stared down at the shattered, bloody mess that had once been the man's groin, now filled with so much buckshot and lead. Dimly, she was aware of Naruto taking the weapon from her trembling fingers, of the faint heat as he burned all evidence to ashes without a second thought. The cleansing rage left her feeling worn, frightened and altogether ill. Only then did she allow herself to break down.

"I...they...they were going to, oh...oh GOD...!" her stomach heaved mutinously, tears streaking her cheeks. "I think I'm going to be sick. That man...I killed him...!"

"Don't worry." Naruto hummed quietly in her ear as he took her hand, leading her outside, away from the carnage. "Its handled."

"Handled? How...

The scent of fire reached her nose a moment later.

"Oh."

"Oh, indeed."

Numb, Jodie squeezed his palm and allowed herself to be led on, letting him lead her by the hand until the bar was little more than a faint light behind them. This close she could see the skin of his stolen body flaking, beginning to peel away to reveal the scorched muscle beneath. He'd burned up too much power again. As if sensing that very thought, he enfolded her in a warm, tight embrace. He held onto her for a small eternity, a quiet bulwark against the pain, until she finally felt the telltale chill that signaled him departing a body.

Even then, he didn't leave her.

"It's alright," Naruto soothed, drifting back towards her. "It's alright... you did good. I would've done the same myself."

They stayed that way for a very long time, until the sirens-and Nathan-finally found them.

No, Jodie realized some time later, she wasn't like other girls.

She never would be. She wasn't sure she wanted to be, either. Not after this. She was in love with a ghost, after all. And you know what?

_She was okay with that._

**A/N: And there we go. Naruto's passed on, and he's hanging around as a mischief-making. ghost, his ever-loving and cheerful self. No longer a oneshot by popular demand! And as you can see, he doesn't take kindly to Jodie being bullied. Neither does Aiden! I'm trying to follow this chronologically as best I can; the game itself tended to jump around a lot. And since I'm following the canon timeline, I suppose ya'll know what's coming next, hmm?**

**So, in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kindly? Unless you want to deal with an angry Aiden. And of course, enjoy the preview! Yes, it may be a large one, but it is ohhhhhhh so SATISFYING.**

**(Preview)**

_Agent Ryan took a half step forward. __Jodie took three back._

_"Look," the CIA agent began, "I don't give a shit about your adolescent pouting-_

_Aiden growled. __Beside her, Naruto hissed. __It was a fierce, angry sound, like the snarl of some eldritch beast._

_"Get away from her."_

_Everything...shook._

_Nathan swore. __Clayton paused._

_"What...what was that?"_

**_"I SAID GET THE FUCK AWAY!"_**

_In that moment, both entities were entirely in agreement._

_The entire room-nay, the very building itself shook with the weight of those words; as if a massive hand had somehow reached down to seized the room and shake everything to its foundation. That was Jodie's first clue that something had gone wrong. Terribly, horribly wrong. Ordinarily Naruto couldn't be heard by anyone other than her and Nathan unless he outright possessed someone. Even then, he was admittedly rather limited in the size and scope of what he could do, this dearth of abilities crippled by the length of time in which he could safely inhabit a body that wasn't his own._

_But...now?_

_He wasn't possessing anyone._

_He was doing this all by himself._

_When she turned to face him he was veritably glowing-lit from within by a small sun. Blue eyes blazed the color of fire and blood; his once gentle round pupils now something of a vicious cross, like two broken black slits slapped together. And still his ethereal body continued to burn, growing brighter and brighter until she was forced to look away lest she go blind. Something brushed her aside ever so gently then-something she FELT-an actual, physical force that wasn't the wind, wasn't energy._

_A hand._

_Jodie whipped around with such force that she heard her neck snap like bubble wrap. Wait. Wait, wait, wait waitwaitwaitwait! Her mind ground to a halt, all senses focused on the slightly-opaque hand gripping the back of her neck and part of her shoulder. Again, the stilted realization that he wasn't using a body-or anyone's body-flitted through the back of her brain. He was solid. Touching her. Holding her. __Protecting her. A faint, tiny warmth suffused her body as the glow faded, exposing his face._

_Which meant..._

_Which meant..._

**_WHICH MEANT...!_**

_"Huh."__ Naruto blinked, staring down at his golden, but still surprisingly solid palms. "This is...unexpected."_

_"W-What in the hell is this?"_

_And just like that, she remembered where they were. What was happening._

_"Ah," Naruto glided forward, his expression deceptively blank. "What was it you just said, Ryan-san? I believe you said "I don't give a shit about your adolescent pouting" or somesuch, hmm?" A shimmering hand rose, banked in the fires of golden chakra, slender fingers forming a fist. "__I don't take kindly to that."_

_All color drained from the man's face._

_"CLENCH YOUR TEETH!"_

_That was all Jodie heard before Naruto's wrist snapped forward. Then Agent Clayton went flying through the door and down the hall in a tangle of glass and broken limbs._

**R&amp;R!=D**


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